


Protect

by Evilbunnygirl93



Category: the GazettE
Genre: Insanity, M/M, Stockholm Syndrome, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-06
Updated: 2016-11-06
Packaged: 2018-08-29 07:34:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8481025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evilbunnygirl93/pseuds/Evilbunnygirl93
Summary: After being captured for being rebels against the kingdom, Uruha must stay at King Toshiya's side in order to protect his brothers. Blaming himself for everything that has happened to them, Uruha will do whatever it takes to protect and save his brothers from their fate.





	

            Uruha awoken from his slumber to find himself laying on a thin blanket using someone’s leg as a pillow. It took him a moment to remember where he was and why he was there. The slave chambers inside the castle. He started closing his eyes to go back to sleep when the door swung open and someone came in banging on a loud metal bell to wake everyone up. Uruha had only been here for about a month, but he knew what to do. Along with everyone else, he rolled up his blanket, sat it to the side, and straightened out his clothes as he stood waiting for his orders to leave. Once everyone was standing the bell rung again and they all headed out the door.

            Uruha was in a daze as he walked to the main hall with a rag and bucket of water. He knelt down and began cleaning the floor. The room was silent since he was the only one inside, but he knew he was being watched. From somewhere, someone was keeping an eye on him. He just kept his head down wondering why everything went so wrong and he prayed for his brothers’ safety. Uruha blamed himself for what happened even though he was told it wasn’t his fault. He always thought of himself as the weakest of his family, but his brothers always told him otherwise.

            He sighed and looked up at the ceiling. If only he could have changed the way things turned out. If only he could have saved his brothers instead of causing them more problems. He couldn’t help but play the last moments with his family over and over in his head.

                                                            `~`~`Flashback`~`~`

            Uruha slipped on his black shirt as he walked out to join his four brothers who were also wearing all black. Although Aoi was the oldest he was more the muscles than the leader, but was always protective of his family. Ruki and Kai were the youngest, but they strategized the plans and lead the missions. Reita and Uruha were the speed of the group since they were lither than the others, but Reita was good at fighting where Uruha wasn’t as skilled.

            Even though he was the middle child, his brothers were protective of him. He was born prematurely and was often sick growing up. Even now he would grow feverish overnight with no reason. It didn’t take much for him to become ill and his brothers knew not too push him. They were always worried about his health and it annoyed him, but they never stopped him from helping unless he was bedridden sick. Every time Uruha got sick they thought it would be the time he died, but he was always strong enough to fight through even without medicine.

            They lived in the slums of the kingdom along with the other poor and starving people, but they decided to put a stop to it. For three years now, they’ve been sneaking into the richer areas, and even into the castle, to steal food and medicine for not only themselves, but for the people in the same situation. Their actions caused other small groups to form and soon enough they were seen as rebels against the kingdom. It wasn’t their intention to create such chaos. They just wanted food to eat.

            So like any other mission, they all headed out in the middle of the night to strike a rich nobleman’s house. They had grown used to getting past the guards with ease since Kai was able to study their routines and know when and where to get past them. Ruki was like a human map so he was able to coordinate their movements through the upper part of the city. Reita often took the lead to run ahead to make sure their pathways were clear as Aoi made sure nobody was trailing them. Uruha’s keen eyes were always looking for strange movement or guards patrolling the streets.

            It was all going so well. They got into the house, collected plenty of food for themselves and for a few families for at least a couple of days’ time. It was going smoothly like they had planned until they were making their escape. They were slipping out of the home when Uruha’s foot fell into the wooden flooring causing him to fall. The shock caused him to let out a small yelp and his brothers froze looking at him. They waited for a moment only for dogs to start barking nearby.

“Shit!” Reita gasped. He dropped his bag and ran to Uruha. It took the two of them pulling to get his leg out of the hole. By then they heard guards running towards them.

“We have to move.” Ruki snapped.

            They nodded and started running to the wall where they slipped out of the opening, but were startled when a group of guards started shouting at them. They started to run, as arrows were shot at them. They were running through the streets, dropping the bags of food in the process. As they turned a corner another group of guards appeared and the brothers stopped as the guards aimed their arrows at them. The guards loosed the arrows and Ruki ran to the left with Aoi and Kai following close behind. Reita grabbed Uruha and tackled him to the ground to dodge the attack. When Uruha sat up he saw Reita unconscious with three arrows in his back.

“Reita? Reita!” He screamed.

“Move!” Aoi yelled picking up Reita’s body. He slung his brother’s body over his shoulder as Kai hoisted Uruha up to his feet. The guards were getting ready to shoot again as they ran.

            It took them what seem like forever to outrun the guards and escape into the lower city. They made it back to their home and Uruha took off to get a doctor. By the time made it back, dragging the doctor by the arm, it was too late. When he walked in, all he saw was Ruki sitting on the floor with his head buried in his knees, Kai banging his fist into the wall as Aoi stood with clenched fist staring at his brother motionless body. Tears swelled up in Uruha’s eyes as he dropped to his knees. Reita was dead and it was all his fault.

            The day after they buried their brother, they refused to leave the home. Uruha decided to clean to get his mind away from everything. He was scrubbing the floor when the front door was kicked in and a large group of guards charged into their home. They couldn’t even react to the assault before they were all caught. The four of them were tied up and forced outside to be examples to the rest of the neighborhood. Aoi looked over at his brothers, Ruki and Kai nodded to him. Uruha was staring at the ground the whole time, he didn’t care anymore.

“Hey, you.” Aoi shouted to the leader.

The head guard glared down at him. “Don’t speak.”

“You arrested someone innocent.”

“Rebels are not innocent.”

“Yeah, we’re rebels, but he’s not.” Aoi said nodding towards Uruha.

“Oh, then why is he in your home?”

“We pay him to clean.” Ruki said. “We give him food for taking care of our home.”

Uruha looked over at them with wide eyes when he realized they were talking about him. He was about to speak when Kai beat him to it. “Why else would he be cleaning instead of mourning our brothers’ deaths?”

“Only one brother was reported shot.” The guard stated.

Aoi spoke. “You got two of our brothers. We just buried them yesterday.”

The guard studied them for a moment before turning to talk to his men and Uruha glared at his brothers who all just smiled at him. They were protecting him again. Before he could say anything the guard returned with a glare.

“Anybody who assists the rebels in any way are guilty of treason and shall be punished. You’ll be heading to the slave market.”

                                                            `~`~`End of Flashback`~`~`

            Uruha slowly moved the rag across the same spot as he was in a daze. He hadn’t made much progress with cleaning nor had he notice the entrance of a group of people. It wasn’t until he was kicked to the side that he was aware of another presence around him. He looked up at the glaring guard who was about to kick him again when someone called him.

“Kaoru, enough.”

The guard turned and bowed his head. “As you wish, King Toshiya.”

Uruha watched as the king walked up to him. He was wearing black clothing and robes, a sword was strapped to his side, and a gold crown was fixed upon his head. He held a slight smirk as he stared at Uruha.

“Shinya.” He called and another slave in white silks with a collar on his neck walked up to him. “Clean this slave up and bring him to my chambers.”

“Yes my lord.” Shinya said with a bow.

            Uruha was dragged away from his duties to a bathroom where he was scrubbed down by three women then dressed in silks like Shinya. A leather collar was wrapped around his neck and he was forced to follow the other slave to one of the four towers in the castle. He was pushed inside and ordered to stay still until the king came to him. He stood there looking around the large room. A huge bed was in front of him against the wall, to his right were several wardrobes lined up against each no doubt full of clothes, and to his left was a desk covered in trinkets and papers. The room however was a dull white with black furnishings. No color other than the few things on the desk.

            Uruha stood there as he watched the sun move across the sky through the window. He stayed there watching the day literally go by when suddenly the door behind him opened. He turned to find the king closing the door behind him. Uruha bowed his head, not really sure what to do. This was the first day he encountered the king. Toshiya walked to him and stood there for a moment before lifting Uruha face up to look him in the eye.

“What is your name, slave?”

Uruha swallowed hard. “U-Uruha.”

“What a lovely name.” The king hummed. He turned and walked to his desk where he sat down. He stared at Uruha, who remained standing in the same spot. “Uruha, come here.”

He did what he was told and stood before Toshiya. The king looked him up and down before speaking again. “My guards told me about your relation with the rebels. Now, I’m pretty sure that you have no reason to lie to me is that correct?”

“Yes.” Uruha whispered.

Toshiya smiled. “Tell me, you’re not really a housekeeper are you? You are the fourth brother.” Uruha eyes widen at the statement, but the king continued. “You may have been able to fool my guards, but you cannot fool me. Reports of five brothers, one shot and killed, but witnesses stated that another brother was also killed. However, there was only one grave near your home that was fresh. So either the rebels bury their dead in different locations or they lied.”

Uruha started to shake, but he glared at the king. “I am the fourth brother.”

“Honesty will always be your best friend, don’t forget that.” Toshiya said standing up. “Your brothers are my prisoners and have been tortured for information about the other groups. It seems no matter how much pain we inflict on them they won’t give up anything. We even had your youngest brother undergo some…let’s just say life changing treatments in front of the other two, but even then, nothing. It seems that they either know nothing or they have very strong wills. However, they won’t be soon enough. I have ordered their deaths by torture, my guards are only waiting for my command to begin.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Uruha mumbled.

“Because, for your honesty I will give the choice of their fates.” The king went on. “This will however affect your fate as well. In exchange for becoming my bed partner, I will allow all three brothers to become slaves in my castle. I will even give them to my most trusted men. Or, you can remain a normal slave and your brothers will be slowly killed. The choice is yours.”

“So either I have sex with you, or you kill my brothers?”

“That’s correct.” Toshiya said.

“I want to see my brothers.”

“What make you think you have that right?”

Uruha forced himself to look the kind in the eye. “If they’re already dead, then why would I agree to give up my body?”

Toshiya smirked.

            Uruha was led by a group of guards and the king down to the dungeons. As they entered the dim corridor Uruha noticed the cells full of prisoners chained up to the walls. He could hear the screams of prisoners being tortured somewhere nearby. He bit his lip as they approached a cell and stopped. He gasped at the sight inside. His brothers were chained up naked to the wall. Their mouths were gagged and their bodies were covered in wounds. Uruha grabbed the cell bars and whimpered which caught their attentions. Aoi’s eyes grew wide at the sight of his brother standing there. Uruha’s eyes watered up looking them over. He saw Ruki shaking nearby as his younger brother kept from looking at him. Uruha noticed the blood on his thighs and could only imagine what they did to Ruki.

            Toshiya nodded to a guard who unlocked the cell and the king grabbed Uruha’s shoulders forcing him to walk in. They stood in front of the three tortured men. Kai yanked at his chains as he glared at the king, which made him laugh. Toshiya leaned against Uruha and spoke into his ear.

“What a sight, huh? Seeing them alive. Do you know what will be done to them? They’ll be whipped, beaten, and burned. Then after all that, your youngest brother there will go through some more rounds with my guards. You oldest brother will be slowly chopped up, one limb at a time. You other brother here in the middle will be eaten alive by rats. And you, well you will have to watch it all happen.”

Tears were rolling down Uruha’s cheeks as he stared at his brothers. “I’ll do whatever you want me to do. Please don’t hurt them anymore.”

Aoi yelled through his gag shaking his head, but Toshiya smiled at him. “Then it’s agreed. Guards, unchain them, clean them up and send them to work. They will be castle slaves. Their owners have already been assigned to them.” The king said and turned to walk away, but looked back at the brothers. “Oh, if any of you fight back or cause any trouble, I’ll force Uruha to go through all the tortures you had to. Uruha, let’s go.”

            Uruha followed the king out of the dungeons and up to his tower. By the time they had got back, the sun had fully set and the room was only being lit up by torches. Toshiya tossed his robes off before throwing his shirt off to the side. He looked at Uruha and smiled.

“Strip.”

Uruha closed his eyes and removed his clothes before walking to Toshiya. The king walked around him grazing a finger over his body making him shiver. He stood behind Uruha and grabbed his shoulders.

“You have soft skin.” He whispered and pushed Uruha forward onto the bed. Uruha stayed still as he listened to the king crawl onto the bed over him. He forced Uruha to turn over on his back and sat on his chest. Uruha watched as the king slipped his hands into his pants and pushed them down enough to slip his flaccid cock out. Uruha began to shake as the shaft moved closer to face and he looked up at Toshiya who was smiling.

“Take it into your mouth.” He ordered.

Uruha opened his mouth and allowed the soft flesh in making him shiver. He clenched the sheets in his fists as the cock started moving in his mouth. He eyes watered up as Toshiya looked at him expectantly. Uruha closed his eyes as he moved his tongue around the shaft in his mouth. Toshiya hummed as he pulled out a little then pushed back in. Uruha sucked and licked as the king thrust into his mouth slowly hardening the member.

Toshiya rocked his hips a little faster pushing his cock a little deeper before pulling out with a pop. Uruha opened eyes to find the fully erect cock twitching in front of him, but Toshiya moved off his body and sat to the side to remove his pants.

“Go to my desk and grab the oil off of it.” Toshiya ordered. Uruha stood on shaky legs as he walked over to the desk. He looked around it before spotting a glass decanter with a yellowish liquid in it. He brought it over to hand it to the king. Toshiya took it then nodded toward the bed again. “Get on your hands and knees.”

Uruha crawled onto the mattress before getting onto position and waited as Toshiya climbed back on behind him. He shivered when he felt the king’s cold hand rubbing against his backside. Toshiya poured some oil on his hand and slipped it between Uruha’s thighs making him gasp. Uruha shook feeling his own member being messaged. He could feel himself growing between Toshiya’s fingers and the king happily rubbed his tip making him whimper.

“You seem to be enjoying this.” Toshiya hummed. “Does the thought of being a sex slave turn you on?”

“N-no.” Uruha whimpered and Toshiya squeezed him, making him cry out.

“I told you honesty is your friend. I’ll let you answer again. Go on, say it.” He said squeezing his hand more.

Uruha whimpered. “Yes. It…turns me on.”

“I bet you’d like to be fucked by my guards, too, huh?”

“No.”

Toshiya dug his nails into Uruha’s shaft. “You’re lying.”

“No, I’m not.” He gasped.

“Just me then?” Uruha bit his lip and nodded. Toshiya let go and leaned down to kiss Uruha’s back. “You learn fast. I’ll reward you for that.”

Uruha took a steady breath, but his body kept shaking. Toshiya poured oil on his hand and between Uruha’s cheeks. He rubbed his hand between them before rubbing a finger against his hole. Uruha bit his lip as he felt something go inside him. It felt strange and it stung, but he kept quiet. He wasn’t sure what would happen if he did anything to upset the king. So he sat there digging his fingers into the sheets feeling another finger go inside him. He hissed and tightened up, but Toshiya rubbed his back.

“Relax, it’ll hurt more if you resist me.” He said scissoring his fingers He smiled pushing a third finger in. “The more you behave the gentler I’ll be. Misbehave and your punishment will give me pleasure while it gives you pain. You should always remember that. I think you’re ready for the next step now.”

Uruha swallowed as he felt the fingers pull out. He took steady breathes as the bed moved and Toshiya sat bed him on his knees. The king had poured oil on his cock and stroked it a few times before placing it against Uruha’s hole. Without warning he started pushing in and Uruha cried out burying his head into the mattress. Toshiya didn’t wait before pulling out and starting a good rhythm.

            Uruha bit the sheets as he was pounded into and he squeezed his eyes shut trying think of anything other than what was happening. He wanted to run away from this and hide from the world, but then he pictured his brothers and he knew he couldn’t. He let the sheets fall from his mouth and let out a low moan. Toshiya grunted above him as he quickly pulled out. Uruha yelped as he was turned over onto his back. Toshiya pulled his knees up before pushing back in. Uruha whimpered, but allowed his moans to leave his mouth. Toshiya smiled down at him moving to kiss him. Uruha moaned into the kiss as he wrapped his arms around the king’s neck. He closed his eyes. If the king remained happy, then his brothers would remain safe.

            Toshiya pulled off and sat up to grip Uruha’s waist as he thrusted faster. Uruha gripped the sheets and cried out as his body was pounded into. He looked up at the king before squeezing his eyes shut. Toshiya grunted and his paced suddenly stop with a final thrust. He gasped holding his body in place for a moment before slipping out of Uruha. He watched as his seeds slowly oozed out of the slave’s hole. Uruha was gasping for air under him. He smiled as he reached down to stroke the slave’s member.

“You were a good boy.” He whispered pumping at Uruha’s shaft. He whimpered and squirmed under the touch until he couldn’t hold it in anymore. He cried out, coming over Toshiya’s hand and his own stomach. The king waited for him to finish before he pulled away and laid down next to Uruha’s body. He raised his hand to the slave’s mouth.

“Clean it off.” He ordered.

Uruha swallowed before licking his mess off the king’s hand.

“Good boy.”

            Over the next few months, Uruha was at Toshiya’s call. Whenever he wanted a blowjob, a hand job, sex, or anything of that nature Uruha complied. He was forced to walk around naked with the king and to pleasure him whenever ordered. It didn’t matter if it was in the bedroom, the war room, the dining room or even outside. They would fuck in private or with people watching. Uruha learned to ignore everyone, to go inside his own head during these times. When Toshiya was pissed off about something, Uruha was his outlet and during these times Uruha would gaze off. He would take his own mind somewhere less painful. As the days moved by he found himself caring less about things around him. He was nothing, but a doll to be fucked and humiliated.

            He ran into one of his brothers, Kai, in the kitchen by accident one day. He didn’t really recognize or acknowledge him at first. However, Kai hadn’t changed one bit. Uruha noticed his worrying looks and smiled, telling him that everything would be okay, but Uruha was finding himself falling deeper into a dark pit. He couldn’t find pleasure in sex anymore even if he tried. Toshiya was getting mad at him for just laying not doing anything and when he did do the work he found it boring. The king started hitting Uruha for not doing his job and even threatening his brothers, but the slave wasn’t reacting.

Toshiya left him one night, too pissed off to deal with his dullness in bed. He walked to his brother’s room and swung the door open. The prince glared up at him from his chair. Ruki was sitting between his legs sucking him off when they were rudely interrupted.

“Who told you to stop?” The prince snapped and Ruki started moving again. “What do you want Totchi?”

“Kyo, I don’t know what to do. Uruha won’t even react anymore. He’s just there, but he’s not there at all.”

Ruki’s eyes widen hearing his brother’s name. Kyo sighed. “I told you before, you have to treat him better. You want him to be a good bed partner, treat him like a bed partner not just a slave. Have you taken him outside the castle? Have you give him clothes to wear? Have let have one night of actual sleep without screwing him?”

“What, are you telling me I should treat him like an equal? He’s a slave.”

“A slave destined to die if he keeps going down this path.” Kyo stated pulling Ruki off. He forced his slave to stand before bending him over the desk. Kyo yanked down his pants and pushed his erect cock into Ruki’s body making him flinch. “You have to take care of your playthings or else they will break.”

Toshiya rolled his eyes and started walking out the door when his brother spoke once more. “Toshiya, you’re a king now. You have the power to do whatever you want. Your word is law. If you don’t want a slave, all you have to say is that he is no longer a slave. Don’t let your pride blind you from the truth.”

“Goodnight, Kyo.” Toshiya sighed walking out of the door. As he did, he heard Ruki moan and he kissed his teeth.

            He swung the door open to his room and found Uruha laying right where he left him. Toshiya closed the door and stomped to the bed ready to strike the slave, but noticed Uruha’s distant stare. His anger disappeared and he gently pulled Uruha up to lay him on the pillows. He covered the slave up and put out the torches in his room. He slipped into bed to sleep for the night.

Toshiya decided to follow his brother’s advice. He gave Uruha clothes to wear again, stopped having sex with him, and even took him in a carriage ride around the castle. However nothing seemed to break his gaze of the world. Toshiya decided to take him on a walk around outside instead of the carriage. He showed Uruha the gardens, the fountains, and his pets. Nothing was phasing him. Toshiya was becoming more frustrated everyday with the lack of emotions. He and Uruha were sitting outside at a table under a gazebo for lunch. Toshiya stared at Uruha waiting for him to react.

“Are you so broken you can no longer speak?” He asked, but had no reaction. “If I let you visit your brothers will you at least talk to me?”

Uruha stayed still for a moment before slowly looking up at the king. Toshiya took this as a positive sign. So he decided to take Uruha to see his brothers first of which was Kai working in the kitchen. Kai hugged him tightly when told he could, but Uruha just looked at him for the longest time before giving him a small smile.

“Kai,” He whispered. “A-are you feeling well?”

“I should be asking you that.” Kai gave a worried laugh. “You’re not yourself anymore.”

Uruha’s eyes teared up. “I dreamed…last night I dreamed about Reita. How he died.”

“Oh, Uru…that wasn’t your fault.” Kai said.

“I’ll make it up to you guys.” Uruha whispered. “I don’t know how, but I will.”

Kai hugged his brother again all while glaring at Toshiya. He patted Uruha’s back before rubbing his head. “You have a fever. You need to get some rest.”

“I’m okay.” Uruha whispered. “I’ll be okay.”

            The reunion was short lived as Kai had to get back to work so Toshiya pull Uruha away to have him see Ruki next. He was easy to find since Kyo was always in the library. When they walked in, they found Kyo and Ruki at a table writing. Ruki looked up and smiled when he saw Uruha for the first time since the dungeon. Kyo waved giving him permission to go over to them. Ruki hugged Uruha tightly, not wanting to let him go. Uruha hesitated, but wrapped his arms around his brother’s back. Ruki smiled and wiped the tears away from Uruha’s cheeks. Toshiya watched as Uruha actually showed some emotion even if it was sadness. He allowed them to speak for a few minutes, but dragged Uruha away again.

            He took Uruha back outside to where the blacksmiths were forging in an area behind the castle. They walked down to it and was greeted by the workers. Toshiya walked in with Uruha close behind. As they moved deeper into the covering they heard whipping nearby. The turned a corner to find Aoi on the floor, his hand chained down as his back was being whipped bloody by a sword maker. Uruha gasped.

“Aoi!” He shouted and ran forward. He dropped to his knees and shielded his brother’s body as Toshiya order the man to stop. Aoi looked up at Uruha to find his brother crying.

“Uru…what are you doing here?” He asked trying to hide his pain.

“Unshackle him at once.” The king ordered and they released Aoi restraints.

“My lord, he—”

“I don’t want to hear it.” Toshiya snapped.

Aoi sat up to hug his brother who was crying out. Uruha squeezed his eyes shut. He couldn’t seem to help his brothers at all. They were trapped here like him with no escape. No escape. They were going to die here.

“Uruha.” Aoi gasped as he felt his brother go limp in his arms. “Uruha!”

            Uruha woke up laying in Toshiya’s bed. He felt a cool rag on his head as he looked around the room. Toshiya was sitting at his desk writing on something. Uruha sat up, catching his attention.

“You need to lay back down. You have a fever.” Toshiya said.

“Aoi…”

“Will be fine. I had his back treated and he’ll be moved to another job in the castle.”

“Why…why are you being nice to me suddenly?” Uruha dared to ask.

Toshiya stood from his work and walked over to sit on the bed next to the slave. “Because…I don’t want you to a soulless person.”

“I’m a slave. I’m no longer a person.”

“I can change that.” Toshiya said. “I can make you into a person again. If you swear to stay by my side I’ll grant you your freedom.”

“My brothers?”

“No. They’re enemies of the kingdom, but I can have them remain here. You can see them whenever you like. As long as they don’t do anything stupid, they won’t be harmed.”

Uruha bit his lip. “You swear?”

“I swear.”

            The moment those words came out of Toshiya’s mouth, Uruha began making a plan. He was granted his freedom, but remained in the castle as Toshiya’s bed partner. He would visit his brothers as much as possible, but made sure to stay close with Toshiya so he wouldn’t suspect anything. Uruha was always use to his brothers protecting him and guiding him. Now it was his turn to do the same for his brothers. As the months went by, Toshiya become more affectionate with him and blinder to his actions. Uruha waited for the perfect night to come. He stayed awake after Toshiya fallen asleep before sneaking out of the room. He had studied the guards’ routines so he was able to maneuver through the castle without running into one. Uruha made it to the kitchen slaves first and woke his brother up.

            He told Kai to follow him and to stay quiet. They made their way through the corridors to Kyo’s room where Kai kept watch as Uruha snuck into the room. He walked in to find Kyo hugging Ruki’s body tightly. Uruha poked at Ruki’s arm until his bother awoke, he was out of it at first, but realized his brother was there. Uruha placed a finger over his lips and waved for Ruki to follow. It took Ruki a couple of minutes to slip out of Kyo’s arms without waking him, but they were soon outside the door.

            They followed him through the castle to the end where the found another slave corridor which held Aoi. The slipped inside and woke the eldest brother, startling him. Uruha shushed him and led them all out of the corridor towards another hallway. They followed him down to a room and slipped inside.

“What the hell is going on?” Aoi whispered.

“I’m getting you guys out of here.” Uruha whispered back.

“What? Uruha are you crazy?” Ruki snapped.

“No. I can’t watch you guys be in this situation any longer because of me.”

“Uruha, this isn’t you fault.” Kai said.

“Yes it is. I was clumsy and alerted the guards. It was my fault Reita died. I got you guys into this mess I’m getting you out of it.”

“Uru…”

“I have a plan. We’re almost through with it.” Uruha sighed. “Please trust me.”

“We do trust you.” Aoi said. “This may be our only chance. Let’s take it.”

Kai nodded, but Ruki looked away. He bit his lip and looked at his brothers before nodding in agreement.

            They followed Uruha out of the room and down to the main hallway. They slipped past the guards and into a smaller corridor towards the storage area. Uruha pulled a key out of his pocket and unlocked it when they heard bells going off. Guards were starting to run around the hallways.

“They know.” Uruha gasped and pushed door open. “Quickly.”

He shut the door and locked it before going to a stack of barrels. With his brothers’ help they pushed it away from a small door in the wall. “What is this?”

“An escape for the royal family. It’ll take you outside the castle walls undetected and you can get away from there.”

“Wait you mean ‘we’ right?” Kai asked.

Uruha shook his head. “I have to return the key. If they find it missing before you get out, they’ll know where you’ll be escaping from and you’ll be captured.”

“We won’t leave you behind.” Aoi said.

“You have to. You have to get away from the kingdom. I’ll be fine. I’ll figure out my own escape. For now you have to go.”

Ruki hugged his brother as did the other two before they went through the door. Uruha pushed the barrels back in front of it and left the room, locking it behind him. He slipped passed the guards through the hallways. He managed to get back to Toshiya’s room undetected. He placed the key back into the desk then walked to the bed where he found it empty. The door opened as Toshiya was walking in with guards. The king was held his sword up towards Uruha when he noticed the slave back inside.

“You…your brothers are gone…you were gone. What have you done?” Toshiya yelled.

“Sire, we need to arrest him for—”

“Get out!” Toshiya snapped. “All of you get out and find those rebels. When you do, kill them!”

The guards ran out of the room closing the door. Toshiya continued to glare at Uruha who was trying to remain calm. “Totchi…”

“Silence.” The king ordered. “I gave you freedom. I let your brothers live. I gave you affection. I gave you safety. How do you repay me? Lying. Betrayal. I gave you my heart!”

“I gave you mine, too.” Uruha whimpered. “But you couldn’t take care of it. You tortured my brothers. Out there we starved like everyone else. In here we were slaves. You may have love for me, but a king who cannot take care of his kingdom is no king of mine. You do not have my love, not anymore.”

“I earned it! I deserve it.” Toshiya snapped.

“And you lost it.” Uruha snapped. “You have all the power in the world. Providing more food for your people, letting my brothers go, either would have solved everything. Your pride is what pushed me away. Your pride will be your downfall.”

Toshiya sniffed as tears ran down his cheeks. “Damnit Uruha. Why did you do this? I thought you loved me!”

“I do, but I love my brothers more.”

“Then I have I no choice.” Toshiya whimpered pushing the tip of his sword to Uruha’s chest.

“Totchi, you always have a choice.” Uruha said with a smile. “I’ve made mine. What will yours be?”

            Kyo was staring off from the castle window as the sun was setting. It had been a week since Ruki had left him. There wasn’t even a goodbye between them. It made him feel lonely again. He sighed as the sun finally dipped under the sky, but night wasn’t dark. It was lit up by flames surrounding the castle. Footsteps ran towards him only for a couple of guards to appear.

“Sire, you must leave the castle.”

Kyo hummed. “It’s for the best I guess. My brother?”

“He refuses to leave the burial room sir.”

“I see, that is his choice then. I will be leaving.” Kyo stated as he headed down the stairwell with the guards close behind. As they walked down a group of rebels came running up. The guards were getting ready to fight when Kyo ordered them to stop. The rebels were also ordered to stop as Ruki stepped forward, Kyo did the same.

“Let the guards pass. They have nothing to do with this.”

“My lord!” A guard shouted.

“I relinquish you of your swords and duty. You no longer serve me or this kingdom.” Kyo said then looked to the rebels. “They have nothing to do with this.”

Ruki sighed. “We don’t kill this one. Take him prisoner for now and do not harm him. He treated me well while I was captured. We will show him the same curtesy.”

“How kind of you, Ruki.” Kyo said with a smirk as he was taken by the rebels.

“We’re not finished, Kyo. Tell me, where is my brother?” Ruki asked.

“You’ll find him with the king in the burial room.”

            Aoi ran down a flight of stairs with a large group of rebels behind him until they came to a door with five guards. The rebels quickly dispatched them as Aoi kicked the door open and entered the room. Inside he found Toshiya standing over an open casket pulling his arms out from inside it. He turned to face Aoi with tears rolling down his cheeks as he pulled out his sword.

“Uruha was the first person I felt love towards. I should have treated him better, but I didn’t know how to. Because of that, I couldn’t stop him from betraying me. I couldn’t stop the rebellion. I couldn’t stop you from taking over my home.”

Aoi shook his head. “All we ever wanted was food. That’s all. It came to this because of your pride.”

Toshiya snorted. “Uruha said the same thing. He was right. I tried to change his mind after he let you three escape, but he fought against me. I didn’t know what else to do. I hope he forgives me for what I’ve done to him.”

“Where is he?” Aoi asked.

“With his brother and I’ll be joining him.” Toshiya said as lifted his sword to his own neck and sliced it across. Aoi looked away as the king’s body dropped to the floor. He ran over to the casket to find Uruha lying motionless inside with his mouth gagged, hands tied together, and his neck was blood red. Aoi pulled his brother out of the casket and laid him on the floor just as Kai and Ruki ran into the room.

Aoi looked up at them, “His body is still warm.”

Kai ran to him and pulled the gag off Uruha’s mouth. He moved Aoi back before arranging his body and pushing his hands on his brother’s chest. He leaned over and breathed into Uruha’s mouth, then went back to pushing on his chest. He did this four times before Uruha opened his eyes and began coughing. They all sighed with relief. Ruki untied Uruha’s wrists so Aoi could pick him up properly. Uruha looked up at his brothers who smiled at him, but he looked back to see Toshiya’s still form surrounded by blood. He closed his eyes and sighed.

            The castle had been overran by the rebels and cleared out. The slaves were freed, the guards relinquished of their duties, and the stored food was given out to everyone. Uruha stood in the room that he thought was not only a prison, but a home as well. He had mixed feelings about everything that had happened. He wasn’t supposed to feel anything for the man who hurt him and his brothers, but he did. He missed Toshiya’s smile, the soft touches and kisses. He hated it, but loved it at the same time. He missed it, but was relieved that it was over. He dropped to his knees and hugged himself as he began to cry. Aoi stood in the door and watched his brother fall apart. They didn’t come out of this unscathed and his brother may never recover from this. Uruha was tortured physically, emotionally, and mentally. He would never be the same again.

            Ruki walked to a cell in the dungeon where Kyo was chained up and unlocked it. He stepped inside and smiled as he sat down. Kyo reached out and rubbed Ruki’s hand.

“Well figure something out for you.” Ruki said. “Aoi agreed to let you go free. I had a lot of convincing to do.”

Kyo nodded. “And Uruha?”

“I don’t know. We’ll see I guess. For now this will have to be your home until Aoi tells everyone not to kill you.”

“I think that’s for the best for now.” Kyo said with a smile. Ruki leaned in and kiss Kyo.

“Love you.” Ruki whispered. “I’ll come see you again later.”

            Kai walked up to Aoi and patted his shoulder as they watched Uruha lay in bed. Their brother needed his rest, but needed to be watched over. They wouldn’t lose another brother. Little did they know Toshiya already had a hold of their brother. Uruha laid on his side staring at the empty space next to him, only it wasn’t empty in his eyes. He could see Toshiya laying there smiling softly at him. Toshiya leaned in and pressed a kiss on Uruha’s lips as he fell asleep.


End file.
